A/HRC/17/34 small-scale farming through land redistribution, equal access to financial services and ensuring access to public services and infrastructure in rural areas. 62. Reducing poverty and promoting social inclusion require not only comprehensive national strategies but also international collective action to ensure equitable international regulatory measures and international assistance and cooperation. Particularly pressing is the need to address widespread food insecurity and rising food prices. Strategies that support rural development, promote sustainable food production and reduce volatility in commodity markets must be a priority for States at both the national and international levels. 63. Acknowledging that no one policy recommendation is a panacea for recovery, the Independent Expert recommends a number of innovative measures to which States should lend serious consideration when formulating their vision for recovery. These are outlined from a human rights perspective below. A. Ensuring a social protection floor for all 64. The crises have demonstrated that long-term investments in comprehensive social protection systems are necessary to cushion the impact of crises, reduce poverty and inequality and contribute to economic growth. A comprehensive rights-based social protection system must therefore be the foundation of any transformative recovery from the global economic and financial crises. Strengthening social protection systems now will ensure greater resilience against future crises, while supporting the most vulnerable will help to prevent the transmission of the effects of the crises to future generations. In order to avoid causing permanent and long-lasting detriment to those living in poverty, States should preserve their investments in social protection and take steps to increase investments where possible. 65. The recovery from the crises presents an opportunity for States to ensure a social protection floor for everyone under their jurisdiction. This concept refers to a minimum level of social protection that everyone should enjoy. A national social protection floor is a basic set of rights and transfers that enables and empowers all members of a society to have access to essential services (such as adequate nutrition, health, education, housing, water and sanitation) and income security (through social transfers). The term “social floor” can correspond to the existing notion of “core obligations”, to ensure the realization of, at the very least, minimum essential levels of economic, social and cultural rights. 66. Social protection floor initiatives must be implemented from a rights-based approach. In previous reports, the Independent Expert has gone into considerable detail about the rights-based approach to social protection.40 The Expert reminds States that the right to social security is not dispensed with or diluted during times of crisis or recovery; indeed, it is more acute and pressing than ever. In order to ensure that social protection systems are in line with human rights standards, States should establish a solid legal and institutional framework for social protection measures at the national level. 67. By creating legal entitlements or social protection guarantees , States ensure that beneficiaries are empowered and become rights-holders. This also ensures the continuity of the programme, protecting it against political manipulation and preventing programmes from being captured by the private sector or local elites. The 40 See for example A/HRC/11/9, A/HRC/14/31, A/64/279 and A/65/259. 15